Chugong’s South Korean web novel will finally hit the small screen. Solo Leveling, also alternatively translated as Only I Level Up, has been adapted into anime by A-1 Pictures, and its first episode will soon be released. Though it may take a few weeks before it plays out on TV, the anime has dropped its preview stills for its premiere episode, titled I’m Used to It, featuring a frightened Jinwoo.
The Solo Leveling stills have put Jinwoo in front and center, as this will be the first time his character will be introduced on TV. It starts with a solo still of him looking at something far away, while the next features a woman behind him.
The next one sees Jinwoo leading a group of people as they seem to enter an unknown place. The last two previews focus on the E-class hunter. The first one shows him looking down and seemingly examining something while he looks scared as he looks at someone behind his back in another.
You can check the Solo Leveling preview stills below:
Credit:
©Solo Leveling Animation Partners
Credit:
©Solo Leveling Animation Partners
Credit:
©Solo Leveling Animation Partners
Credit:
©Solo Leveling Animation Partners
Credit:
©Solo Leveling Animation Partners
What to expect from Solo Leveling Episode 1?
Solo Leveling Episode 1 will introduce the series’ story, starting with the introduction of the passages called “gates,” which connect this world to another dimension. These gates have now appeared, and the people who fight the monsters on the other side of the gates are called “hunters.”
These hunters are ranked according to the magical power they have. Sadly, Jinwoo is said to have the weakest ability, making him the lowest E-class member. The day then comes that Jinwoo volunteers in the dungeon, where another entrance at the back is revealed after clearing it.
You can read the synopsis below:
Ten years ago. Passages called "gates" that connect another dimension and this world have appeared, and people who fight the monsters lurking on the other side of the gates are called "hunters." Hunters are ranked according to the amount of magical power they have when awakened, and Shun Mizushino was said to be the weakest among the lowest E-class. One day, Shun participated in a dungeon. After clearing the dungeon, there was another entrance at the back.
Based on the web novel of the same name by Chugong, it was first serialized on Kakao's digital comic and fiction platform, KakaoPage, in July 2016. It was later published in full on the Papyrus label in November 2016. After two years, a webtoon adaptation was serialized in KakaoPage, illustrated by Jang Sung-rak, with the first season released in March 2020, followed by the second season in August 2020. It concluded in December 2021.
In addition, Solo Leveling was also adapted into a role-playing video game developed by Netmarble. A-1 Pictures adapted its anime, premiering in January 2024, while a Korean drama adaptation is now in development, and a spinoff webtoon called Solo Leveling: Ragnarok will be released next year.
Solo Leveling Episode 1 will be released on January 6, 2024, in Japan and can be streamed on Crunchyroll. With the manhwa's success and the excitement fans have shown for the new anime, many are now waiting to see its premiere episode.
